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Eating organic is often included in the green and healthy lifestyle that many people are starting to adopt. Obviously it’s healthier to eat foods that haven’t been doused in pesticides or injected with hormones, but it is definitely an expensive option. My good friend is taking a class in which she has to eat not only organic, but also only entirely unprocessed foods for two days. This is going to be very expensive for poor college students, which will quite possibly turn off the entire class from every trying to eat organic. I think it’s very important to realise that eating healthy and organic isn’t an all-or-nothing decision. You don’t have to throw away all of your prepared foods or shun cheese forever, because even just making small changes does help.

It’s important to know the differences in terminology before you go shopping. “Natural” means basically nothing- it is a term that is not really regulated by the FDA. “100% organic” clearly means that there are no synthetic ingredients in the food. “Organic” means that 95% of a food’s ingredients are organic. “Made with Organic Ingredients” means that 70% of the food’s ingredients must be organic- these three terms are regulated by the FDA.

Some foods are more important to eat organic than others. For example, fruits with thick peels are more resistant to pesticides, so it’s not always imperative to buy those organic. If you eat meat on the other hand, it’s pretty important to make sure it hasn’t been fed antibiotics or hormones. Here’s a brief list of some of the most and least important foods to worry about.

Watch out for:

Apples, peaches, and other tree fruits

Celery

Berries

Leafy greens

Bell Peppers

Grapes, raisins, and wine

Potatoes

Meats, milk- the fat retains pesticides that the animals ingested

Coffee, chocolate- The beans are often grown in countries with few regulations

Rice

Green Beans

Cucumbers

Don’t worry about:

Sweet Corn

Pineapple

Sweet peas

Mango

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Cabbage

Watermelon

Sweet Potatoes

Grapefruit

Mushrooms

Papaya

Broccoli

Cabbage

Bananas

Kiwi

Asparagus

Mango

Avocado

Onions

There are other ways to save money while trying to stay healthy and unprocessed as well.

Buying in bulk is always great if you know it won’t go bad and you have space to store it.

Take a page out of your granny’s book and use coupons– seriously, I LOVE coupons. Sometimes I leave the store with them practically paying me.

Buying generic is a good idea- a store brand of plain organic vegetables is usually pretty indistinguishable from a fancy brand.

See if you can buy frozen– if you’re just making soup or smoothies, frozen fruits and vegetables are adequate. Also, sometimes canned goods are great too. The canning process actually sometimes gets rid of pesticides, but you do have to worry about BPA in the can linings.

Buy local and in season– obviously strawberries are going to be expensive in January when they have to come from some distant land. Also, it’s more eco friendly since your food hasn’t travelled as far and healthier since they haven’t been treated with chemicals for the long journey.

Buy less processed food– not only is this far healthier, it will obviously save you money because you’re not paying for labor. You’ll consume less sodium, oils, and chemicals with frighteningly long names. Also, many foods lose nutritional value when they’re overcooked as they often are in prepared foods. Make your own prepared foods by going on a cooking spree every few days and storing individual portions.

If you can’t find or afford organic goods, just make sure you do the best you can by washing food, peeling skins and outer leaves, and trimming fats.